


A Feline Cupid

by sekhmetpaws



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Denial, Drarry, M/M, Matchmaker Crookshanks, Matchmaking, Pining, Slow Burn, Vampire Draco Malfoy, everyone is bad at fellings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:41:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24830017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sekhmetpaws/pseuds/sekhmetpaws
Summary: Hermione travels to take a vacation course, leaving her cat to Harry Potter.Like any good hunter, Crookshanks brings a gift to thank him.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 30
Kudos: 244





	1. The present

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this: https://br.pinterest.com/pin/853643304351939745/

Harry Potter looked up confusedly. He looks around, making sure he is still in his office. The lamp poured yellow light into the room. In the background, the neighbor's television produced a distant and incomprehensible hiss. He had left a window open and the light breeze made the leaves on his desk fly, spreading across the floor.

He looks at his desk, the part that hasn't fanned out with the wind. Pens with lids bitten in anxiety or lost forever were scattered among notebooks, books, and loose sheets. A lonely, now cold, cup of coffee looks at him disappointingly. Once again, he had slept in the middle of his studies.

Under him, the traces of his crime: crumpled sheets of notebook and letters transformed into incomprehensible abstract art of ink and saliva. He runs his hand over his cheek, finding the same blue, wet mess. The clock on the wall in the living room strikes five-thirty. At what time of dawn had he fallen asleep? And why had he woken up now?

The sound of wood being scratched didn't startle him this time. He stood up staggering from sleep. His little barefoot pink painfully greeted the sofa, making him bounce between mumblings to the front door.

"Morning". He said, yawning, out of habit.

The cat meowed.

The brunette allowed the orange cat to surround his legs, the little brushtail raised in the air.

As a matter of fact, Harry Potter didn't like cats very much. He was the type who preferred dogs. But he liked Hermione, and after his skin had been saved by her so many times, it was simply impossible to deny taking care of the cat while his friend was taking a vacation course.

And, after all, it couldn't be that much trouble, could it? Hermione's cat was practically independent. He basically just needed his help to put the food back in his little bowl and open the door when the animal returned from his night walks. For some reason, he always managed to get out alone, but, he didn't know how to come back. Or maybe he could do it, and just knock on the door out of politeness. He would expect that from Hermione's cat, at least.

Harry looked at the empty street. It was early. It was Sunday. He decided to take a short walk to his bed. He locked the door, stretched, and started walking towards the stairs. The cat meowed again. The brunette didn't even turn around, disinterested, turning on his heels to go towards the kitchen to get the cat's food. The animal insisted.

"What is it, Crookshanks?" He looked over his shoulder.

The cat was staring at him from the table with its yellow eyes shining. The mess of dry saliva and pen blots that was his notebook now had red spots. His eyes widened.

Crookshanks took that as an incentive, jumping off the table and walking over to him, his brush tail whipping the air. Proudly, he deposited the black ball at his feet.

"Shit Crookshanks!" Harry exclaimed, startled, pushing the cat away with his hand.

Crookshank snorted at him, leaving with his face and tail raised in contempt.

Harry carefully took the warm ball in his palm. Last week it had been a sparrow and two days earlier a squirrel. Hermione's cat had serious problems when it came to bringing dead animals home. That was why he had been forced to keep the cat. Her boyfriend, and their best friend, had refused to accept the cat since his pet mouse had disappeared - BEEN BRUTALLY MURDERED HERMIONE - while they were at school. Harry held the little thing firmly against his chest as he advanced towards the kitchen, where the light was better.

Carefully he moved the little creature with his thumb. With a start, he realized it was a bat. Do bats have hearts? Shit Potter. Of course, they do! Harry took the little black ball close to his ear to hear his small breath. At some point in the meantime, he remembered that he shouldn't take a bat in his hands. And also that he had no gloves. And had done it already, so damn it.

The animal looked very limp and unresponsive in its hands. He didn't know what to do. In a cardboard box, he placed a towel and the inert bat. There would be no vets to see him now. And if there were, probably not to meet a bat. Maybe he'll get better on his own.

Okay. What do bats eat? Blood. No. Hermione said that most bats do not eat blood. Fruits. Yes. Bats eat fruit. Was this a type of bat that eats fruit? Harry hoped so. He opened the fridge and took a big strawberry, putting it in the box.

Okay. What more? Maybe it was thirsty? Probably. How do bats drink water? Bats drink water? He picked up the phone and dialed it.

"Hermione!"

"Harry?" A sleepy voice answered on the other end of the line. "What happened? Is everything all right?"

"Do bats drink water?!"

"..."

"Hermione?"

"It's six in the morning."

"I know, but, it's important!"

"I don't know Harry. Probably. I'll look later and tell you ok? Go back to bed."

Harry had not yet gone to bed. But he thought it might be a good thing. There wasn't much he could do for the little creature now, after all. He put a cup of water in the box and went up the stairs.

....  
Harry Potter woke up in the middle of the afternoon. He didn't know exactly what time it was, but by the faint glow of the sun, it had been long past lunchtime. He came down the stairs barefoot and in the sweat pants he wore as pajamas. His stomach rumbled. Would it hurt to eat the rest of the pizza he had ordered the night before and had been abandoned in the living room ever since?

He decided it would not.

From the kitchen came the sound of the cat's growl.

"Crookshanks!"

The cat looked at him defiantly. The cardboard box in the center of the round table in the kitchen. Harry knew what that look meant. He was going to push the box off the table, for no reason, just to see his reaction.

"Crookshanks, no!"

He was quick, picking up the cat and placing it on the floor, severely scratching his hands in the process.

"Wicked cat!"

Luckily, he had covered the box and the little animal in it, that is, if it were still alive, it was safe. He opened the box. The water was spilled all over the surface and the bat was huddled in a dry corner, away from where Harry had placed it in the morning.

"Hey, little guy! You are alive!" Harry smiled in relief, leaning over the box to get a better look.

The cat's lightweight appeared on his back. In an instant, curious paws plunged into the box to catch the bat.

"Crookshanks!"

The little animal screeched, trying to escape by flapping its leathery wings, one folded at odd angles, preventing it from flying. Harry allowed him to climb into his hand, lifting him away from the cat's claws, with the other, lifting the cat by the skin on his back, pulling him out of the kitchen. The bat in his hands remained immobile, putting out a pink tongue as if he mocked the other animal.

Harry closed the kitchen door and sat down on one of the chairs. He raised the bat in the line of his eyes. It had pointed ears and big, expressive eyes, out of proportion to its body size, making him look like a tiny chihuahua puppy.

"What am I going to do with you buddy?"

Harry looked away. Inside the box, there were little bite marks on the strawberry he had left. He shook his head, satisfied and proud of himself. He went back to the fridge, this time picking up a jar of small blackberries - which he had gotten from Mrs. Weasley, because without Hermione around to force him, he didn't have the slightest willpower to try to eat healthily - and headed off to the room. The bat had climbed his arm and rested on his shoulder absently.

Harry Potter would never have imagined that he would spend his Sunday afternoon watching television and eating cold pizza, while feeding a small bat on his shoulder, under the inquisitive look of Hermione's cat.

At the end of the day, he improvised a splint on the bat's wing with ice cream sticks and placed it in a new box with a small blanket at the bottom, placing it out of the cat's reach. Before closing it, he smiled when he received a series of licks of thanks - or maybe it was because of the ice cream - in his hand.

Only later, when he went under the shower to get ready for sleep, trying with difficulty to remove the blackberry juice stains from his shoulder, did he realize that he had not given the bat a name. He would do that the next day.  
....  
Harry groaned. The alarm buzzed loudly, shaking audibly over the nightstand. Another Monday. Another day of work. He stretched sleepily, muttering, however, a sound coming from the lower floor made him start.

Harry took a deep breath. It was just the cat. It was just the cat ... Harry looked to the side and saw Crookshanks sleeping on the other pillow. Shit. There was someone in the house.

With the quietest of steps, Harry came down the stairs. Looking around suspiciously. The front door was open, the sun's rays slowly licking the living room floor. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit…

Harry armed himself with the first thing he saw: a broom. The cat at his feet is also armed with his air of mockery. They walked silently to the kitchen. The open, empty cardboard box on the floor. Harry cursed. They could have stolen the television, the notebook, even their shoes, but nooooo ... They had to mess with the damn bat!

A meow alerted him in the other room. Harry ran back in, brandishing his broom like a sword, but found it empty. On the stairs, a man and a cat were surprised.

The stranger noticed him, averting the cat's angry gaze and switching to a more sympathetic expression. The brunette's heart missed a beat. The stranger had long blond hair, almost white, big, expressive eyes, and one of the most seductive smiles he had ever seen.

"Hey." said the man, biting his lip.

Harry was unmoved, hitting him in the chest with a broom, making him stagger down the two steps he had climbed, more surprised than injured. 

To his indignation, the man did not go out of the open door.

"Get the fuck out of my house!" Harry threatened, brandishing his broom.

The man looked at him offended, with no intention of leaving, fleeing t9he entrance. In fact, almost playing hopscotch, running away from all the cracks and windows through which the sun's rays infiltrated, slowly warming the wooden floor.

"What is wrong with you?"

Harry spread his arms in confusion. What's wrong with him?? A stranger just broke into his home! Harry turned away from the stranger fearlessly, grabbing the phone and dialing.

"I'm calling the police!"

The blond man's eyebrows came together and his mouth opened in an offended circle. For a few seconds, they stared at each other in indignant silence, listening to the muffled phone ring, until someone on the other end answered.

"911. What is your emergency?" said the muffled voice on the other side.

The blond man put his hands on his hips as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He narrowed his eyes and when he opened his mouth to speak his voice was hoarse and defiant.

"Fine. Tell them this, then."

Before his eyes, the blond man in front of him turned into a bat and took off in a flight and swift through the door. The cat meowed victoriously, kicking the imaginary dust behind and got back into the house.

"Sir?"

Harry disconnected the call. 

He wouldn't show up at work that day.


	2. An unwanted visit

Harry Potter had a restless day.

For hours, he waited sitting on the couch, face in hands, wondering if it had been real, at the same time that with each new sound of steps, cars, conversations, and screams outside, he was frightened, unconsciously waiting that the blond man was going to come through the door and jump on him.

The box still in the middle of the kitchen and the small pieces of fruit scattered on the floor of the room that he collected while Crookshanks surrounded his legs proved that yes, everything had been very real. At least the bat part at least. Which made it very strange. Tripping over the cat got him out of his stupidity

He couldn't let that get in his life, right?

For the fifteenth time, he put his cell phone back on the counter, from where he had left numerous times in his dilemma of calling Hermione or not, concluding that “Hi Hermione, your cat brought another dead animal, but it was alive and turned into a handsome guy and then went flying ”was not a good topic for conversation between mentally stable people.

He cleaned the floor, threw the box away, and went to get the broom that had been left lying on the stairs, at the same point where he had fallen when he realized that the invader had simply disappeared into the air. Deciding that a bath would be a good way to clear his thoughts, he went upstairs. The cold water was a pleasant shock against his hot body, serving to distract him from his thoughts. In the meantime, his belly rumbled, reminding him that he hadn't consumed anything all day. With the towel wrapped around his waist and his hair dripping, he headed downstairs again and retrieved his cellphone.

He knew that Mrs. Weasley would have a nervous breakdown if she knew he was planning his first meal of the day at five o'clock in the afternoon and that it would be pizza again, but honestly, he wasn't in a position to think much now and stay in the comfort zone just once wouldn’t kill him.

To tell you the truth, when he pressed the button to hang up, he didn't even remember what pizza flavor he had ordered, but, from previous experiences, he had a notion that it took around an hour for someone to show up at his door with the food, so he just put on something, find the money and lay on the couch to watch the fourth season of "Friends" for the third time.

When he heard the doorbell, he mechanically dragged his bare feet to the front door and thanked the deliver guy, not bothering to fetch cutlery from the kitchen, wash his hands or something, returning to the room and just getting the cat out of bed so he wouldn't decide to climb on top of the pizza box resting on his stomach. He cut a piece with his hands and opened the notebook, looking for something to watch.

Not even ten minutes later, someone knocked lightly on the door. Had he given the wrong value to the delivery guy? Or had he exchanged the pizzas? Why Harry just didn't remember what flavor he asked for, nor did he care, because pizza was pizza and any flavor was good.

"May I help? ". He opened the door.

The blond man was standing in the doorway, hands in his pockets, watching the last streaks of light disappear from the sky. When he heard the question, he turned around, smiling. Harry looked at him mesmerized. His eyes were the color of a stormy night.

"Good evening. Would you have a cup of sugar to lend me?"

Harry slammed the door in a panic. His back was glued to the cold wood as if making a barricade with his body. He felt that he was beginning to hyperventilate.

"That was a little rude man". The voice sounded muffled on the other side of the door. "You should have said 'Sure, please come in' ".

As quietly as possible, the brunette latched the door and turned the key. Holding his breath, he waited. Nothing. He blew out a breath, sliding across the wood. Perhaps the man was gone. Slowly, still turning his head again and again to look towards the front door, he returned to the living room, to turn off the television he had forgotten. As soon as he reached the remote control, a chill ran down his spine.

"You know, I thought about saying 'a cup of blood' instead of sugar, but I thought it would be a bit much". The blond man stared at him outside the window, elbows resting on the doorframe. " What are we going to watch?"

The brunette had to control the urge to throw the remote control against the glass. With all the stability he could muster, he walked stiffly to the window.

"Get the fuck out of my house!" He ordered, his voice trembling, closing the curtains.

Harry stood in silence. He hadn't heard the man going around the side of the house and lean against the window, until he heard his voice and without an answer, it was impossible, without opening the curtains, to know if he was still standing there listening to his movements, trying to know what he was going to do.

Just in case, as quietly as possible, he practically crawled on the floor of the house, afraid to be seen and also closed the curtains in the kitchen, without looking through the glass, in fear of knowing whether the man was surrounding the house or not... He checked the lock again and took out his cellphone, frantically searching for his emergency contacts. Between "Firefighters" and "Police" was "Mione".

Tiptoeing up the stairs. Crookshanks ran between his legs, causing a shiver. His finger floated over the dial button as if it were a trigger. He didn't know what Hermione could do. It wasn't like she was going to teleport to the house, lecture the man and make him run. Even so, the shadow of her existence made him feel a little more secure.

He reached his bedroom upstairs, his throat dry, looked carefully out the window. A red car passed by on the dark street. No blond man. He took a deep breath. In bed, the forgotten pizza was already cold. He didn't care, capturing a piece.

"Ok. Since we don't know each other, I will give you the benefit of doubt and assume that the garlic pizza was not intentional."

Harry almost spit out the piece of cold cheese. The man was at his window ON THE SECOND FLOOR AND UPSIDE DOWN. It was not possible that Harry had not heard him climb the wall and walk on its roof. How had he come up at last ??

"Are you going to stay there staring at me and not going to invite me in? Rude."

Crookshanks hissed at the man. The man hissed at Crookshanks.

Harry's eyes widened. Sharp, white fangs flashed in his direction and a blood-colored reflex tinted the storm-colored irises for a millisecond. Harry moved away from the bed as far as possible, his back found the wall.

"You are a vampire!"

"Of course not. I am a leprechaun". Said the man, seriously. Harry was silent. "Of course I'm a vampire. Leprechauns don't even exist."

"And vampires exist?"

"I thought that the bat-turning part, fangs..." And to demonstrate, opened his mouth and pointed both canines with the indicators "And all that had convinced you".

The two stared at each other for a few seconds in silence.

"It's not exactly comfortable to hang upside down, you know? Can you open the window?"

Harry didn't remember much about vampires. About vampire legends, actually. There was no way of predicting which ones were real or not now. They turned into bats. Right. They didn't like garlic. Right. They were beautiful. Right. Hm. Maybe that shouldn't be the focus now ... They didn't have a reflection, they didn't like running water and they could be killed with a wooden stake in the chest. Perhaps? Harry had no way of proving the last three.

Vampires were great liars and seducers and tried to gain the sympathy and trust of their victims before approaching. Probably. Harry wouldn't let that last part prove itself. He walked to the windows and grabbed the curtains.

"You are not being very polite. I just want to talk".

Harry smiled at him, victorious. Based on his insistence on the issue, he remembered one more rule: Vampires need permission to enter your house.

"Good night".

Harry closed the curtains.

...

After a few hours of silent surveillance, he and the cat finally managed to fall asleep (Crookshanks long before him).

When the alarm went off and the first rays of sunlight appeared through the crack in the curtains, Harry knew he was safe, for now. 

There was no vampire in the windows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know we usually write Harry with stupid Gryffindor courage, but, as we know, he doesn't have much mental stability and, in a universe without magic (without Hogwarts, at least) where he has just had a reality check and has a vague idea that vampires are theoretically dangerous and don't know what to do about it yet, I think it's a valid reaction. I suppose the rule of having to be invited in does not count if you are brought against your will by a cat. This is it.


	3. Black Coffee and Angry Cat

Harry Potter tried to live the next week in the most normal way possible. He would get up in the morning, open the curtains suspiciously, have a bath and coffee. Then he would leave for work. The brunette worked a part-time job at a coffee shop. He didn't really need that job, having received a fat inheritance from his godfather, who had passed away a few years earlier. But, being very hyperactive, and especially now that he was on vacation from college, it was a good way to occupy time and ward off excess anxiety. 

And then? Well, he kind of ran home to make sure he got there before it started to get dark and he lost the protection of the mantle of the sun. He had already been forced to make three different excuses for his group of friends about why he couldn't go out at night this time.  
…  
“If you really are busy, we can come to your home” Ronald had said while they were having lunch together on Thursday “Seamus’ boss lets him take the beer for half the price and…”

Harry filled his lungs to dump the fourth excuse and was interrupted in the process.

“If you don't want to hang out you can just say, you know?” Neville patted his back. “You are a terrible liar and everyone needs to spend time alone every now and then ... Unless you are not alone?”

“Hmmmmmmmmm!” Dean and Ron made together as kindergarten boys, drawing the attention of the other tables in the small restaurant, which turned to face them. 

Harry lowered his head in embarrassment, feeling the blood rise to his cheeks. 

“Harry Saint Potter is seeing someone!” Said the redhead, raising the soda can in an imaginary toast to himself. “Do I know them?”  
…  
In a certain way, Harry Potter was really seeing someone. The problem was, it was against his will. 

In the first few days that the vampire-man started showing up at his windows, he confesses to being very scared, but by the third day, it was just annoying. It wasn’t as if the man was even making an effort to try to get in. He was also not giving in either. Without knowing the extent to which part of "seduce victims" was true, he would rather not test his luck. Deciding to simply ignore the blonde. 

In the beginning, apparently, he had decided to pretend he didn't care, talking to himself, always with a small suggestion to invite him to come in here and there. At some points, it was even a little useful. Tap on the window of the room “The water has already boiled”. Tap on the bedroom window "Your shoelace is untied, you will fall off the stairs". 

However, after so many days being completely ignored - by the brunette, because the cat made a point of hissing at him every time he saw him, always winning a toothy growl back - the vampire seemed to lose his temper, deciding to change tactics.   
…

“Hey, Harry!” Neville, his co-worker, nudged him with his elbow “Take a look at the guy who just entered.”  
Harry lowered the cup that was drying, looking towards the entrance, where a man, covered from head to toe, in boots, pants, basically all black, placed a huge black umbrella in the umbrella holder. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

The man pretended he hadn't seen him, walking over to one of the tables and sitting cross-legged. To any other customer at the cafe, the blonde looked just like another normal person, absently turning the menu pages. Kind of too cold and obsessed with black, but normal. But, Harry Potter knew what he was. And being a compulsory accomplice to that secret, facing the man right in front of you and doing nothing, was driving him crazy. 

As if he knew, the blonde lowered his sunglasses and sent him an amused wink. Harry wondered if he would be fired if he shooed him away with a broom. Before he could give in to his impulses, a hand caught him by the arm, pulling him into the small kitchen of the establishment.

Neville had a chubby red face and his hands covered his mouth, hiding giggles.

“What?”

“Is this the guy?”

“What guy?”

“The guy you are dating with?”

The brunette rolled his eyes. “I already told you. I'm not seeing anyone! I've never seen this man in my life and ...”

“But you think he is cute.”

“Of course not!”

“You are a terrible liar, Harry.” Neville shook his head in disapproval “You can't even be discreet. You could at least pretend you're not staring at his table shamelessly.”

“What?! No, I’m not!”

“Come on Harry. He's flirting back. Go and talk to him.”  
“But I don’t...”

And before he knew it, the brunette had already been pushed off the counter, with the notepad in hand. He looked over his shoulder, just in time to see Neville smile and give a thumbs up. He couldn't take his friends anymore trying to find someone for him. But it was better this way. Neville didn’t know what kind of danger he was dealing with. It was necessary to approach carefully. 

The danger was folding napkins in the shape of little birds.

“Good afternoon. Can I take your order?” He said, narrowing his eyes, watching the other's movements carefully, as if he expected him to jump on his neck at any given moment. 

“Good afternoon...” His eyes widened when the blonde went over his chest with his fingertips, hitting the little sign that read his name “Harry Potter. Do you have ‘O’ negative?” The blonde smiled, the tips of his white canines being momentarily visible. 

“What are you doing here?” He snarled.

“Forcing you to stop ignoring me.”

“Great. But you will have to order something.”

“Great. Bring me coffee. I like my coffee black, like my soul.” and laughed, leaving the brunette bewildered, fleeing behind the counter.   
…  
He turned his back to the tables, placing a white cup under the machine and pressing a button.

“You made him laugh! It's a good start. What did you say?” Neville asked excitedly.

“Nothing. My life is a joke”.

Neville snorted. “You are so dramatic. Go sit with him! Come on! It's almost empty. I will watch your back”

“But...” 

Neville shut him up with a hand signal and shooed him away with another. 

Harry Potter positioned the steaming coffee cup in front of the man, standing like an idiot. On the other side of the counter, Neville made a discreet gesture as he indicated that he should be seated. The brunette groaned, obeying.

The blond man watched the interaction with a chuckle on his face, cupping the drink with his hands. 

“Your friend looks cool”.  
“A little annoying, but, yes, he is nice”.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. 

“You're not going to drink it, hm ...?”

“Draco. And no. I just like the warmth of the cup.”

“Is Draco a nickname for Dracula?”

“Was that the best joke you could think of?”

“It was not a joke.”

The blonde, er, Draco, laughed. 

“Why are you here?” Harry asked again.

“To make you stop ignoring me”. 

“You already said that. I mean after me”.

“You saved my life”

“You are welcome. So what?”

“My family has a tradition regarding life debts. I cannot be indebted to you. I have to compensate you.”

“You can compensate me by getting the fuck out of my life, for example.”

The blonde laughed. “It is not how it works. I have to pay you a favor of equal value.” 

“What if I refuse?”

“You don't have that option. I would just be forced to protect you for the rest of your mortal life.”

“Protect from what?” He said back, wondering if "protecting" involved continuing to walk on the roof of his house during the night. 

Draco shrugged.

“Vampires. Werewolves. Other humans. From the furry demon, you create as a pet and sooner or later will kill you in your sleep… Most likely other humans, humans are treacherous…” 

Harry didn't know whether to be worried or offended. 

“Are there other vampires? And werewolves? And ... Don't throw coffee on the plant!”

“The cup is already cold and I'm not going to drink it.”

“This plant belongs to Neville and if she dies he will kill m…” Harry interrupted himself, smiling at his friend who had just passed by, carrying a tray with some slices of cake. On the way back, Neville gave a thumbs up again. “I do not believe you.”

“Why not?”

“How do I know you're not lying? You are a vampire. How will I know that you are not trying to gain my trust to ...”

The blonde's hand gripped his tightly. Harry realized with despair that he just couldn't move under the grip, let alone get rid of him. 

“You won’t” His tone was low and dangerous. He brought his face closer to the table, so close that his lips could touch if Harry moved to the side. “What would stop me from killing you now? Worrying about it is useless.” As sudden, as it came, his face turned away, with a half-smile “And your comment was very vampirephobic.”

Harry felt the blood running back through his fingers. The blonde had released him. He withdrew his hand, massaging his palm, watching the man get up and replace his sunglasses.

“I'll let you think about it.” He said, smiling. “ See you later.”

Harry was left alone with his thoughts for what seemed like an eternity until Neville appeared smiling, throwing his apron over his shoulder and sitting in front of him. 

“You guys held hands! It was very cute! Did he ask you out? What's his name?”  
…

That night, in his bed, Harry laid down in confusion.

For the first time, he did not check the windows and locks suspiciously, nor did he pay attention to the faint flapping of bat wings and unknown shadows licking the floor. He knew he would be there. 

Suddenly, a snarl and a curse.

The brunette stood up, startled.

More snarls and more profanity and scratches and squeaks and meows.

Harry shook hands apprehensively, looking out the window. Until the blond man appeared through the glass, looking outraged. Without stopping to think, Harry opened the window, allowing the man to roll into his room, his hands full of fur, scratches, and a furious Crookshanks. He took the cat from the vampire's hands and looked at him fearfully. But, fortunately, the blonde did  
not have any apparent intention of attacking him.

“If you want to have this damn cat, at least keep his killer instinct inside your home.” Said, turning on his back, and putting one leg out again. Realizing he was being looked at, he stopped. “What?”

Harry didn't answer, staring at the open window. 

Draco understood and laughed.

“That part is a lie. I could get in the whole time. I'm just polite. Good night.”

Harry just heard the click of the window closing and the vampire's light step on the roof, standing there still, staring at nothing, for a long time, until Crookshanks bit his thumb, pulling him out of his trance.

When he put his head on the pillow, he didn't know what he should feel.


	4. Hey

Harry Potter wrote the final period, satisfied.

He rubbed his hands together and picked up the small pile of paper on his desk, gathering the leaves and tapping them on the wood so that they were aligned and gazed, in awe, at the first assignment in his life that he had not done at the last minute. This time, he really needed the extra credit and, unfortunately, Professor Snape, also known as the strictest professor at his college, did not like him at all and would not accept a half-ass job. Not even Hermione, who had had a subject with him the previous year, had been able to finish with perfect grades, so the brunette knew he needed to write the best report of his life if he wanted to stay at least average.

Happy with himself, he put away the papers in a folder, before Crookshanks climbed on top of the table and he lost a point for cat paw prints and saved it in his backpack. Harry Potter smiled. Everything was going well. Which was kind of weird. Things didn't use to work out in his life. In a week, Hermione would come back from the trip and pick up the cat, classes would start again and the time spent between study and work would make him tired enough not to deal with his paranoia (which shouldn't be very healthy, but it helped). And everything would be back to normal.

Well, almost everything.

There was no way to get back to normal with a vampire perched on his roof every night, showing up at his windows, following him to work… Oh my God. What if he decided to follow him to college? No. No. No. He had to get rid of him. Just find out how this life debt thing worked and then… 

The doorbell rang.

Harry looked back expectantly. Through the living room window, he could see that the sun had already set and the night was beginning to fall. Who could it be at this hour? He looked through the peephole, finding another eye, sky blue, staring back and smiled, turning the doorknob. 

“Surprise!” Shouted the owner of the spy eye, jumping on his neck happily.  
Another female hand tapped his arm hard in greeting, her bag slung over her shoulder and her wet hair indicated that she had just left training.

“How was the game, Ginny?”

“Two to one. What can I do? We are testing a new keeper. But I was the one who scored the point. Is there beer in the fridge?”

Harry nodded, without looking in the direction of the redhead when released from the suffocating embrace. 

“I didn't expect to see you so soon, Luna”. 

“That's why it is a surprise!” The blonde smiled.

Outside, Harry heard a trunk get closed, and quickly, other people appeared at his door, talking non-stop, preventing him from interrupting. Ron and Dean came in carrying a crate of beer, which they placed on the table, followed by Seamus who carried a cardboard box, probably with snacks inside. Neville came in last and was the only one to stop politely to greet him. Until his best friend turned, walking towards the room and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“Luna was in town, it's the last week of vacation and we are tired of your excuses. You have no choice.”

Harry rolled his eyes. His friends had no idea of personal space or privacy. He knew they would be there sooner or later, but didn't expect it to be so soon. He looked around, watching the messy house. The couch was full of socks for some reason. Probably Crookshanks had entered his drawer.

“Seamus, do you remember if I locked the car? No? Someone? I'll take a look.” Dean said, turning the doorknob. “By the way Harry, there must be a bat nest on your roof. I saw one landing there when we arrived.”

Harry Potter swallowed dryly.

“Hmm…? Yes, there must be. Will you guys excuse me for a minute?”  
…  
“Hey!” Harry whispered-shouted, poking his head out of the window. “Draco?”

Without an answer, he prepared to hit the ceiling with the broom handle. 

“Hey.” The brunette almost fell backward, when the blonde's face suddenly appeared, as always, upside down, in the window. “I can hear you. You don’t need to do that”.

Harry stared at him for a moment, curling his tongue, not knowing what to say. 

“There are people in my house”

“I’m aware. So? Aren't they your friends? I assumed they were because you didn't go out screaming that you were going to call the police...” With a dramatic jump, he spun in the air, entering through the window “Are they not? Do you want me to…” 

And made a quick gesture, passing the index finger around the neck. 

“No, no! That's exactly what I don’t want you to do!”

“Hm… Okay? I guess? Why would I kill your friends?”

“Because you are a fucking vampire!”

The blonde rolled his eyes. “Again, Harry... I can call you Harry, right? You are being very offensive.”

The man huffed.

“Sorry if I don't want the blood-sucking night creature to kill my friends.” He said, crossing his arms.

The other's eyes narrowed, dyeing in red. For the first time, it was not just a flash of blood. His pupils dilated, vertical, like a cat's. Harry stared at him, almost mesmerized when he took a step forward, the brunette took one back and another, and another, until his back was glued to the wall, as well as both hands of the blonde, framed on which side of his face. When he spoke, Harry saw the glow of white fangs between his lips and swallowed dryly.

“Is that what you think I am?”

“Hey!” An animated voice called from the door. “Am I disturbing something?”

“Hey!” Draco smiled back, his eyes returning to their normal tempest gray tone.

Harry seemed to remember how to breathe again, taking his body off the wall and looking toward the door where a cheerful Luna Lovegood with the cat on her arms and a confused Neville Longbotton stared at him.

In a burst of epiphany, Neville recognized the blond man, his mouth open in surprise, and his hands quickly rising to cover it. He looks from Draco to Harry and from Harry to Draco repeatedly, while the blonde is still standing at the same place, smiling.

“I'm Luna Lovegood, nice to meet you!” She said, breaking the silence and extending her hand to the man. 

“Delighted to meet you.” Draco smiled, taking it between his fingers and turning her wrist so he could place a kiss on the back of her hand. 

Luna and Neville exchanged a look and then shook their heads in approval. Harry frowned, disoriented by the situation. 

“Come here. I will introduce you to everyone.” Luna smiled, pulling the man by the hand towards the corridor.

“For one who was all embarrassed yesterday, I didn't expect to meet him again so soon ... In your room ...” And Neville smiled, the stupidest smile of all, following Luna down the hall and leaving the brunette perplexed, who practically had to run to catch up with them.

All eyes followed his steps as he descended the stairs and walked to the living room, feeling the blood press his eyes and the pulse of his heart in his throat. 

Ginny lowered the beer, placing it on the arm of the sofa. “So Harry, aren't you going to introduce us to your ...? “

The blond man smiled vengefully, dropping Luna's hand and walking towards him. His breath froze and all his body hair stood up when he felt an arm around his waist.  
“Yeah Harry, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys. I just broke up a five-year-long relationship and I'm feeling shitty.


	5. Yeah, Harry?

“Yeah Harry, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?”   
….  
Harry Potter froze under the touch, not knowing how to breathe again. His heart accelerating to alarming levels. Until Luna's soothing touch on his forearm brought him back to reality. 

“Harry?”

“Hmmm… okay. Guys, this is Draco…?”

“Hello, Draco!” Ginny and Neville chanted it together, like children welcoming the new student into the kindergarten class.

Luna chuckled, walking to the center of the room and sitting on the arm of the sofa, her legs draped over her girlfriend's lap. “Now we!”

“Hmm…”. Harry moved slightly away from the hug, trying to smile in a friendly way, like a person who was not about to have a psychotic breakdown. “Those are Seamus and Dean” Both, hugging each other at the kitchen door, smiled, Seamus made a sloppy salute “Ginny.” Ginny made a hang loose sign “Luna you already met, Neville…”

“The cafeteria guy”

Neville smiled, his face red. “Me”. 

“And the Mr. Grinch there is Ronald”. Luna completed. 

Ronald sat in an armchair with his legs curled up against his chest, looking at the blonde suspiciously. “What kind of name is Draco? Are you one of those guys who pretend to be a vampire or something?”

Harry's eyes widened as if he'd been caught red-handed, but Draco only raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of name is Ronald? Are you a clown of some fast-food chain or something?” Then he shrugged, smiling. “My mother's family has a tradition with strange old names.”

Everyone seemed to find the explanation plausible, staring at Ronald to see his reaction. The redhead just nodded, extending his hand for a greeting: a firm handshake, to show dominance, which didn't quite work out, feeling his fingers almost being crushed back, even though the blond didn't seem to be making the least effort.

Neville made room on the couch, allowing the two of them to sit between him and Ginny. Luna put her feet, sporting a sock of each color and pattern, on the brunette's lap. In return, the blonde put his arm around his shoulders, without even looking in his direction. Harry couldn't believe how the vampire could act so naturally in that situation and had no idea how to get out of it. In his head, a new mantra was muttered: holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit… 

“So…” Gina nudged the brunette in the ribs. “How did the two of you meet?”

“Hmm…?” Harry did not answer, confused, not knowing how to explain the origin of the man without being instantly placed in a sanatorium.

“Oh!” Harry felt the vibrations of the blonde's voice run through his body when he came to his defense “So ... I was minding my own business when I saw this coffee shop and, I love with coffee, I decided to come in and order a cup. I look to the side and the clerk is staring at me. And he continued to stare. Super creepy. But then I thought, ‘oh, he is cute, what could go wrong?’ So I stared back and winked at him.” Luna chuckled and Draco smiled. “But he kept looking at me and doing nothing. Then these two disappeared for about 10 minutes and I stood to wait for someone to come and get my order”

“Wingman Neville, to the rescue!” Ginny predicted, making Neville laugh. 

“I had to practically drag him to the table by his feet!”

“And then what?”

“Then he asked me out and now here we are.”

“Harry Potter taking the initiative? I don’t believe it!”

The brunette looked, stunned, at the vampire, unable to believe how, somehow, he had reversed the whole situation. As if HE were some kind of sinister stalker and …

“At least someone here got lucky.” Neville interrupted his train of thought. “Do you believe that after you left and I went to water the plants to close the cafeteria, I found out that someone threw coffee on my Mimbulus Mimbletonia?”

“No!” Draco put a hand to his face, horrified. 

“What the fuck is a mimulus milbur m..?” Asked Ron. 

“Mimbulus Mimbletonia” Corrected Neville “It is a rare species of cactus. I already told you about it. In the end, I had to take her home. This morning I put the poor thing in the sun to make her feel better and…”

“This Morning?” Ronald interrupted. “Wait, when was that?”

“Yesterday.”

“You met this guy yesterday and already brought him to your house ?!” Ron exclaimed angrily, in the same tone of voice his mother used to lecture.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Ignore my brother, okay? He has the soul of an eighty-year-old man.”

“That's it, Harry! Life is short, don't waste any time!” Dean agreed, raising the bottle in a toast, Seamus raised his thumb in approval. Even the Crookshanks purred.

Meanwhile, Harry sat in silence, not knowing where to put his face and not understanding how the vampire had gotten into that situation so easily and his friends found it completely normal. The brunette was sure that if the man turned into a bat right now and went flying across the room, everyone would clap.

At some point, Neville got up and fetched a drink, Seamus exploded a packet of chips that flew in all directions, and the weight on his shoulder was gone. The brunette's attention only returned when he heard the creaking of the stairs. 

He looked over his shoulder, seeing the blonde reappear with a colored glass cup -a prissy tend, Ron would say- and a striped straw. That was exactly the impression Ronald had again, the brunette observed, watching his friend wrinkle his nose. 

“And this is?”

“Juice.”

“Flavor?”

“Beet, carrots and ginger”

Ronald made a puke impression, returning his attention to his beer. The brunette's eyes widened. He might not be able to taste the metallic smell - yet - but he knew very well that it was not juice at all. He stared at the sticky consistency through the glass, feeling his stomach churn. He stood up so fast that his vision disappeared for a second, walking towards the blonde. 

“Can I try it?” Harry heard a soft voice behind him, but he didn't turn around, focusing on getting to the blond and pushing him into the kitchen. 

“Draco will make one for you, I got groceries this week.” He said, without turning around.

“Yeah, I thought he looked kinda anemic. Too white.” Commented the redhead.

“Ronald!”

“What? Nobody but your girlfriend would drink such a disgusting thing because they want to!”

“Combine business with pleasure and bring more lemon!” Shouted Seamus, and it was the last thing Harry heard before closing the kitchen door.

…  
He didn't care what friends would think, cornering the blond man against the sink. The man, for his part, did not seem the least bit intimidated.

“What the fuck do you think you're doing?!”

“The smell of everyone was driving me crazy.”

“I this blood?!”

“No. It’s beets, carrots and ginger j...”

“Draco!”

“You asked a stupid question!”

“Where did you get this?!”

“You said to me I should not kill your friends and I'm not killing them. What difference does it make?”

Draco smiled and his front teeth were stained red. The brunette dry-swallowed and that made the blonde's smile widen, satisfied. Harry Potter did not move or breathe when the vampire placed a hand on his cheek, caressing it slowly and brought his face close to his ear, his breath licking his skin.

“Where do you keep your blender?”  
…  
In the living room, while waiting for her juice, Luna tried to think of what to do, looking discouraged inside the backpack, until the colored circles caught her attention and she had an idea. Quickly unfolding the packing, making Neville move the coffee table away and setting up the plastic piece on the carpet, she announced excitedly: 

“Strip Twister!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is wondering, Draco's family has a blood bank. He didn't leave in five minutes, killed an elderly man, filled his cup with fresh blood, and came back. He just carries it around, because hydrating is important.


	6. It looks like the tables had turned, isn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys. I lost this chapter two times because of computer errors and was so fucking pissed I gave up trying to write it for a week each time it happened. So, here it is.

“So... The rules...” Luna was standing in the center of the room, the sofas were pushed for more space. “Hold it here for me, love.”

Ginny sipped the strange-smelling juice, contorting her face in a mini grimace. “Horrible.”

“You are being dramatic… Is everyone going to play? I think we will need to organize in shifts and…”

“No, it's okay” Dean interrupted. “Seamus and I will just watch you embarrass yourselves.”

“And probably shoot the best moments for Facebook!” Seamus added. 

“I can spin the wheel... I don't know if I really want to practice contortion today.” Neville said, taking the roulette from the blonde's hand.

“Pff ... Cowards.” Ronald said. He was very competitive. Personally, he would prefer it to be chess or snooker, but we have to take advantage of the opportunities that life gives us. “And you Dracula, will you chicken out too?”

Draco was not very impressed. “No, let's play. Harry?” Harry just shook his head, agreeing without knowing exactly with what. The blond's sucking noise emptying his own glass of "juice" echoing in the back of his head. “But I will warn all of you beforehand that it will be difficult to beat me, I can be quite flexible.” And blinked, just to make the brunette blush, which was always funny.

“That's what we'll see.” Ginny lifted her girlfriend's glass of juice (from which she hadn't dared to take another sip) in defiance. 

Luna clapped her hands excitedly. “Great. Before we start, I believe that everyone should be with the same amount of clothes.”

“Okay, I'm using two, three, four... Six pieces” Counted Ginny.

“Glasses count as a piece? Because I didn't plan to take it off.” Harry asked. “Okay, without the glasses, I get 5 then.”

“Six.”

“Six too.”

"Damn Potter, do you have to complicate everything? Go get a coat or whatever."

"What? No! You get something off!"

"You are a difficult one, you know it, Harry? Bloody Hell." Said Ronald, taking off his beanie and throwing it at his friend.

Ginny and Luna each removed a sock and Draco took off his jacket, causing Ronald to grumble.

"What episode of the Addams Family did you get this guy from?"

Harry turned to the blond, who wore a long-sleeved black blouse - no surprises here - but open at the shoulders and back, with the strips of fabric forming a pentagram. The man laughed at him, tapping the collar with the tip of his index finger.

"It's just to hide the marks from the bite."

The redhead rolled his eyes, making the group of friends laugh. Harry's eyes widened again. The blonde slid fluidly behind him, resting a hand on the curve of his back.

"Relax. I'm kidding." He said, his breath against Harry's face made his hair stand on end. "Actually, the marks are on my wrist."

No one noticed the shiver run through his body as Luna announced the rules.

"... No, no ... None of this bullshit of having the right place to start. I think everyone can choose their own strategy." Ginny interjected.

"You are in charge… " Luna smiled. "Ok, and no eliminations! Every time someone stops in the red, the person takes one piece of clothing and, obviously, we can only take one part of the body from the floor at a time to take it off, if someone falls, take another piece of clothing, but, remains in the game! And whoever has more clothes at the end wins."

"And whoever is naked will pay a forfeit!" Simas shouted from the kitchen, in which he opened another package of snacks, this time with scissors.

"Me first!" Ginny exclaimed, taking the last sip of her beer and handing the bottle to Neville.

"Ok. Left foot. Blue."

Ginny smiled, stopping at one end of the color encounter and extending her foot to the first blue circle.

"Luna. Left hand. Red."

Luna bent down beside the red row, on the edge of one side of the plastic, removed the remaining sock and rested her hand on one of the circles in the middle

"Draco? Right hand. Yellow."

The blonde smiled, standing on the opposite end to Ginny, bending down to place his hand on the plastic, however, without crouching like Luna. Harry realized, indignant with himself, that his friends might be right and he might be staring a little. But of course, not like a scary stalker. Only by very pertinent and scientific evaluations. For example, right now he was thinking that tight pants like that should be a crime.

Some people might say that he was wrong for having that kind of thinking, that he was being rude for judging someone else's clothes and that Draco probably only wore clothes that made it look like his butt had been vacuum-packed because he liked it, right? Wrong! You see, that statement could be true if the man wasn't a vampire, but, as that was the case, OBVIOUSLY, this was just a distraction strategy.

That's right. He purposely wanted Harry to be distracted by that, just to drink his blood with a straw in the next second. Vampires are very smart. And for that very reason, he always needed to be one step ahead. For that reason, for the sake of his own protection and that of his friends, he needed to pretend it was working and that is the one and only reason why he didn't realize it was his turn and Neville had already called his name three times. At some point, he ended up putting his left foot on the green and with Ronald standing beside him with his foot on the yellow.

At some point, everyone's socks were gone, Ronald's freckled chest was taking a breath and Simas had decided to make the game a booze game and make everyone's balance a lot worse. Harry had decided not to participate. The alcohol made his mind a little foggy and he couldn't afford to be even minimally out of his senses and reflexes when his life and everyone else's was in danger. "Couldn't" in the past, because he quickly changed his mind when it was the blond's turn to put one foot in the red and lose his shirt and Harry realized that he couldn't look away from the thin line of hair that came down from the navel and got lost where dark pants started and he was forced to turn a shot to pay attention to something else.

Harry felt his face hot, knew he was flushed, and felt the blood swirl through his eyes. He knew the blonde must be watching him mockingly and quickly turned to face him in the challenge. But, the blonde wasn't looking at him. In fact, for the remainder of the game, the vampire seemed to move away from him intentionally, to a point where he was practically under Luna's breasts - who had proved to be a terrible player, just like Ronald - and they both laughed together. The brunette didn't know if he should be irritated because he was being avoided or worried that the vampire had decided to invest in his friend as his victim.

It was only when the next red circle was announced to Draco that Harry understood why. The black, absurdly tight pants were the next part to go. Obviously, with one body part in each circle and only being able to take one at a time, it wouldn't be a striptease show, but even so, without knowing exactly why, the brunette was filled with expectation. When the vampire managed to open the buttons and unzip, Harry could hear his own heart pounding in the back of his throat.

Draco looked at him angrily. Harry saw flashes of red appear and disappear in his irises as if he couldn't control them, and at that moment he understood that Draco could also hear - or smell, I don't know - the blood flow rising in his throat and painting his face. And Harry laughed out loud. The others laughed too, but probably for other reasons. Deep down, he felt that this could be the first time he was in real danger, but it was also the first time that he couldn't care less. Maybe he was too drunk, who knows? It was he who was in control and it was he who was making the blonde uncomfortable and unable to do anything about it. Both faced each other in defiance for what seemed like an eternity, until Luna slipped, knocking them all over.

....

A few minutes later, they were all on the street. Draco, Ginny, and Harry had put their clothes back on. Luna and Ronald had lost together and had been challenged to walk around the square three blocks away, naked. Luna hopped shamelessly, giggling with Ginny at her side, Ronald ran foolishly, his hands covering his parts, being followed by the boys trying to capture the best moments to send to Hermione.

Harry and Draco stayed behind. The blonde still refused to look at him. Harry felt powerful. Maybe it was the effect of alcohol, but he didn't care. The only thing that could improve this moment was if he finally managed to get rid of his chaser. At the end of the street, he saw a light approach rapidly and his fogged mind had an idea. His bare foot advanced to the edge of the sidewalk.

Before he could have any other muddy thoughts, he was thrown against the asphalt.

"Have you gone mad?!"

His body was turned on the floor violently, Draco's weight on him, his eyes crystallized in red. Harry felt something wet and hot on his face, but he found no words to say.

"This is not Twilight! I don't fucking know how to turn cars!"

Harry didn't move, confused. In the background, they heard Ronald's screams as he had just rounded the square and approached. The brunette felt himself being pulled by the arm and the blonde's tongue ran through the cut on his cheek. He stopped feeling the sting.

"You are not yourself." Harry couldn't protest when he was thrown over the blonde's shoulder as if he weighed nothing. "I'll take you home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the idea that vampires would have anesthetic saliva like some of the blood-sucking animals is cool. Sorry, not sorry.


	7. Hot cocoa with a hint of anxiety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! My English teacher didn't show up today so I wrote this.

Harry Potter woke up in a series of three small scares. First, the roar of thunder shook the windows, making him jump on the bed. Then he realized that he couldn't breathe and, finally, that he was blind.

After removing Crookshanks from his face, he realized it was just raining.

The curtains were drawn and his room was dark. When he opened them, it was the same. He supposed it was daytime because of the faint light, but the clouds were so dark that it was not possible to know what time it was. Thunder rumbled and occasional lightning tore through the sound, the wind buzzing in his ears and blowing on the cat's fur, which fled under the bed. It still didn't rain.

He didn't remember how he got to bed.

To tell the truth, after the game, he didn't remember much from the night before.

He went to the bathroom to splash water on his face, Crookshanks, as always, behind him, his brush tail raised, whipping the air.

He glanced at his face in the mirror and looked more dead than alive. In the corner of the mirror, a heart enveloped an “H + D” made of purple lipstick, the color that Luna used, making the brunette roll his eyes, but find it funny. He washed his face with cold water, patting his cheeks to wake up. Funny. Harry was quite sure that there should be a cut there, where he had hit the asphalt when…

Harry blushed, remembering his pathetic attempt to throw himself in front of a car and how stupid it looked now. He vaguely remembered being lifted and thrown over Draco's shoulder, wondering if that was how a sack of potatoes felt until he saw Ron rushing past them screaming and covering his lower parts, running back home and being taken out of that thought by a wave of giggles. He remembered Draco's angry look, pressing him on the floor, his red irises glowing in the dark and the feeling when he approached his face and ... Harry didn't want to think about it.

Where he was? Where were they all? Had he been put on the couch and fallen asleep? Had his friends seen him try to jump in front of a moving car? Did they think it was an accident? Had they been worried? Had Ronald drawn dicks on his face with a permanent pen while he was unconscious?

Had Draco given any excuse and left, so he wouldn't have to deal with it? Or had he waited for everyone else to go before turning into a bat and flying away? Had someone put him to bed? Someone had put him to bed. Weren't the curtains open the day before? Yes, they were. But who? Harry was a little afraid to ask himself.  
...  
He descended the stairs carelessly, reading some messages from Hermione about the teachers, reminders to feed the cat and recommendations for himself about eating right, sleeping early, what medicine to take for a hangover and blah blah blah…

Crookshanks arrived before him in the kitchen, meowing when he appeared at the door.

"Good morning, I guess, for you too."

Meow.

"What is it?"

Meow. Again.

Harry felt it would be kind of stupid to answer the cat again, but he answered anyway. In the middle of the kitchen table, under his fluffy little paws, was a sheet of paper.

"What do you got there?"

Another meow, with no intention of leaving the spot. Harry pushed the cat lightly, dragging him across the table. It was the same sheet of notepad he used to write notes, where it was possible to read in round, elaborate handwriting.

“I went to take your friends home, no one was in a position to drive. There's medicine for the hangover on the counter. I have a few things to do, but I'll be back to check on you later. -D. ”

Harry blinked in confusion. It was a strange feeling that he couldn't describe with words. The possibility that the vampire had dragged his wasted friends into some dimly lit alley didn't even - ok, maybe just a little - cross his mind. He couldn't understand what was going on, why the vampire was doing it. He had no obligation to do that, did he? The situation of the life debt had to involve a bigger gesture, didn't it?

And it didn't extend to your friends either, right? Well, if it wasn't something so simple that it could be resolved intentionally by the brunette throwing himself in front of a car, it probably wasn't the case, was it? And he had said he was going to come back… Harry decided that taking care of someone drunk didn't count on saving his life. But he didn't want to think about it too much. He wanted to have hot cocoa.

The brunette opened the fridge, being disappointed to discover the lack of milk. He really wanted hot cocoa. He decided to go to the market. That way, he could even buy some marshmallows and make a cup just like the one he made for his customers at work. That was it.

It was starting to drizzle. He went out spinning the car keys and tripping over a bottle of beer that had been forgotten. There was no one on the street. He didn't even bother to look in the mirror when he left until he heard a thud and a groan.

Taking a deep breath, he tried desperately to remove his seatbelt. He had hit someone! Please don't be the cat, please don't be the cat, please don't be the cat….

Behind the car, a girl about his age with short black hair was sprawling.

"Holy shit!" He cursed. "Are you okay?!"

The girl was crying, clutching her ankle.

"Of course not! Are you stupid? I think it's broken!" She whined.

Harry had no idea that, at that speed, the car would be strong enough to hurt someone. He should take her to Hermione, or to a hospital, on second thought, the hospital made more sense. But, he didn't feel able to drive now, his legs were shaking a lot.

"I'm going to call an ambulance, okay? Come, let's get out of the rain." He put the woman's arm around his shoulder, carrying her inside, her body was very cold.

He deposited the woman on the sofa, she was grimacing in pain.

"I'll be right back!" He said without turning to her, running to get his cellphone upstairs.

Once there, he remembered that his cellphone was in the car, but he could hear the door opening and someone calling his name - or some very similar sound - followed by an exclamation sound and a thump of something falling on the floor. Harry ran down the stairs. Upon arriving in the room, he found a strange scene. The door was open, the unknown girl was lying in the middle of the room, Draco dragged her by the legs, defending himself from kicks - strangely, from the same foot that she claimed to have broken - while Crookshank pulled her hair. All three, cat included, stopped to look at him for a second, before continuing what they were doing.

"Will you excuse me for a second?" Said the blonde, closing the door.

Harry could just watch from the window a very strange conversation, listening to lose parts like “Stop pretending you need help if you are going to hunt people who want to help you! It's very slutty! ” and "Those pants look awful on you!" And then the vampire came back as if nothing had happened.

"Hey."

"Hey?"

"Are you feeling better?"

"What the fuck was going on?!"

"Ah. I know her. It's all right."

"It's all right?!"

At that moment, the black-haired girl came through the door.

"Hey." She said sheepishly "I just came back to get my coat. No hard feelings, right?"

"Hm? Okay?" 

She smiled showing her white fangs and left again, with a happy goodbye.

"Another vampire?"

Draco shrugged, looking a little embarrassed.

"Great. What she wanted?"

"She was, hmm…. Hunting you?"

Harry wasn't even surprised this time and he felt strange about it. He was angrier at being cheated and not having his hot cocoa than scared.

"So what?"

"So, I told her I was here and she is not coming back."

"Only that?"

"Yeah. We are friends."

Harry narrowed his eyes.

"And does that count as a rescue?"

Draco raised his eyebrows. "I guess…? I mean, she was going to kill you."

Harry shook his head in agreement. In his mind, he said “So that's it. Goodbye ”and closed the door, but that’s not what came out of his mouth and he didn’t know why, but he would probably regret it later.

"I don't think so."

"Oi?"

"You said it doesn't count if I do it on purpose, so it doesn't count either if it's your fault."

"I don't see how this can be my fault ..."

"Why, wasn't she your friend? Telling your friends not to kill me is not really my vision of having my life saved."

"Well, I suppose if you still feel like I haven't paid my debt, I have to stay."

"Great. Get in the car. We are getting marshmallows and popcorn."


	8. Forgive me for the things I said. I was hungry.

For the next three days, Harry and Draco lived through the strangest of relationships.

Harry had gone back to work, of course, and Draco had not risked going out in broad daylight -Harry hadn't asked, but due to the only nightly appearances and the number of clothes he wore when he showed up at the coffee shop the week before, he was assuming that the sun really did some kind of damage, lethal or not, for vampires - having no urgent business to deal with.

But, like every night, ever since he had appeared as a bat in Crookshanks' mouth, he would come back. He always came back. And for the first time since then, Harry invited him in through the front door.

It was strange at first. Without the need to play a role for the brunette's friends and flirt and tease him so often, whereas Harry didn't have to worry about the safety of his friends or discovering the blond's true identity, both did not know very well how to behave.

They would sit in awkward silence and watch something on Netflix, each on one end of the couch, very different from Draco's provocative attitude two days ago, as he practically placed him on his lap. Harry did not understand exactly why. He supposed it was an attempt to escape the temptation to tear his throat out, but the sudden detachment bothered him. Harry Potter didn't know why it bothered him.

He ended up discovering some vampire tastes and tics as well. He liked to watch the brunette eat for example. He had discovered this the day before when he had finally managed to make his hot cocoa and put some cookies in the oven. Probably remnants of his life before the transformation. It must have been pretty boring to have to live on blood alone. Although, in his bat form, Draco had eaten fruit ...

Evidently, he was also slightly obsessed with keeping his hair extremely well aligned, all the time. He spent an eternity in front of mirrors, every time he passed one of them. Yes. Vampires apparently have a reflection, at least in modern mirrors. Harry had been acquiring a series of useless facts about vampires. In this case, theoretically, vampires did not appear in mirrors with silver background, as it is a pure metal, but most of the current mirrors had an aluminum background and aluminum is not so demanding on what or who to reflect or not.

On the other hand, Draco wasn’t sure if it appeared in photos or not and Harry couldn’t test it at the time - the cat was sleeping on his lap and everyone knows that you cannot remove a cat when he allows you to serve as a pillow- he just hoped that the legends wouldn't apply to modern cell phones, otherwise Simas and Dean would have some very strange pictures to explain.

In addition, he seemed to have an opinion contrary to his own about anything they watched. He hated all the characters Harry liked and vice versa and he tended to think that all the villains were correct and to find justifications for their attitudes - many of them very reasonable, but Harry Potter's pride did not allow him to give in, besides think that some attitudes had no justification. He had also had a bad childhood and did not go around killing people - and defending them in long and heated arguments.

Finally, despite his humor and style, Draco didn't like horror movies. Quite the opposite. He thought everyone was too artificial and exaggerated. He liked romantic comedies. THAT, NO POTTER, ARE NOT EXAGGERATED, GODS, YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE. Harry had slept in the middle of one of them on Tuesday, and when he woke up, he blushed, realizing that he had been carried to bed again, this time, without notes.

On Thursday, Harry chose the film. He looked for something that was more comedy and less romance, something that he could at least watch without sleeping. He waited - he wouldn't admit he was anxious, but he was - for the blonde to appear. He took a while this time. And when he arrived, he didn't look very excited.

"Hey."

"Hey." Draco stopped, leaning against the doorway.

"Won't you come in?"

The blonde shrugged, following him into the living room.

"Sooooo... I found a movie I think you are going to l..."

"I won't be staying today." Draco interrupted.

"Why not?" Harry pouted. And then he was surprised to have done it. What difference did it make whether the vampire was there or not?

"I have some business with a friend... I came to warn you to lock the doors and not help strangers anymore."

"A friend?" Harry raised his eyebrows, and then his attention turned to the second part of the blonde's speech. "The other vampire I 'ran over' the other day?"

Draco laughed, just nodding.

"Are you going out to 'hunt' ?" Harry asked nervously, trying to remember if that was the term the blonde had used the last time.

Draco looked away.

"And do you always go out hunting together?"

Draco laughed, approaching the brunette, one hand holding his face. Harry froze in place. It was the first time that the blonde had physically approached him in the last few days. "Jealous?"

Harry felt his face flush. And saw the vampire's eyes flicker in a quick change of color. As fast as it came, he walked away. He looked slightly distressed.

"What?"

"Sorry. I get a little unstable when I'm hungry." Draco looked away again.

Harry crossed his arms, not sure what to say. Both stood in the middle of the room, avoiding to look at each other, in silence for a while, until the brunette sighed.

"So ... Are you going already?"

"I don't know. Pansy said she would stop by. She is somewhat unpredictable about schedules."

Harry absorbed the name, wanting to remember it for some reason, and then shook his head away from his thoughts and took a step forward.

"Well, I..."

The cat passed between his legs, fast as the wind, unbalancing him. Harry barely had time to think about anything before falling forward, taking the blonde with him to the rug. When he opened his eyes, he found the other storm-colored pair staring at him and realized with horror that their lips were pressed together.

He stood up quickly, adjusting his round glasses. "Erm…?" With a new surprise, he realized that he was still sitting on the blonde's lap, and instead of standing up, among the millions of thoughts that crossed his head at that moment, he chose the most stupid. "That's weird. Your mouth is very cold."

Draco made no move to change his position, raising an eyebrow and, when he didn't get any more comments, realized that it was a real statement and laughed. "Yours is very hot."

At the moment, Harry didn't try to reason whether that was a double-meaning comment or not. For the first time, full of curiosity, he took the courage to run his hand over the side of the vampire's face, outlining his mouth with his thumb. Everything was soft but unnaturally cold. Weird. He wanted to kiss that again.

"What temperature do you think my tongue has? " The blonde smiled, holding his chin with his hand.

Before Harry could think of a sharp answer to return, the blonde's lips took his. Harry felt the blonde's tongue invade his mouth. He didn't have time to find out if its temperature was right or not, or if the situation itself made him feel that strange sensation because in the next second Draco's body had rolled over his.

He placed a knee between his thighs spreading his legs, intensifying the kiss. Harry felt the blonde's pair of fangs lengthen and he circled them both with his amazed tongue. His fingers traced the blond strands, clinging between them. Draco took off his lips. His red eyes flashed darker if that is possible.

He lifted the brunette's chin, turning his face to the side and sticking his own in the curve of the man's exposed neck, breathing heavily against his skin. Harry felt his heartbeat accelerate more and more. The man's tongue ran over his neck, the tips of his fangs scraping slightly as they passed over the forming trail of saliva. Harry moaned hoarsely. Draco pressed him to the floor, growling.

And then he stopped, blinking as if he noticed something. He released him, rising, resting a hand on either side of the brunette's head, his hair unforgivably messy. Harry also blinked at him, confused.

Without warning, the door to the room opened and a brunette girl with short hair entered, accompanied by a tall black man. They both stopped in place, watching the scene. Draco turned his head, growling at them. Harry saw their muscles tense and their eyes glowed red for a second before the girl shook her head and smiled.

"Are we interrupting anything?"

Draco's eyes blinked twice more and returned to normal color and he got up quickly.

"I have to go." He said simply, looking away.

Harry saw the black man roll his eyes and walk out the door, dragging the woman after him, as well as the blonde transforming into a bat before him and flying fast behind them.

Sometime later, at the city limits, the black man would say. "Protecting, yeah? Right."

And Draco wouldn't answer.

Sometime before, still lying on the living room floor, Harry Potter would look at the offensive boner in his pants. "Shit."

From above the bookshelf, Crookshanks would purr in cat laughs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vampire Facts!  
> >Vampires have naturally cold skin, as they are kind of dead, although in a short time after consuming someone else's blood, they get a normal person's body temperature  
> >They prefer to consume the blood of young and/or healthy people, which have a higher nutritional value and can keep them for longer  
> >All vampires have this characteristic of red eyes, which, like fangs, can voluntarily be shown and hidden, but they will lose control in situations of instability (mainly hunger) and strong emotions (mainly desire and anger)  
> >The need for food varies according to quantity and quality. Vampires who consume a smaller amount need to eat more regularly, whereas by draining a person (totally) of similar height, the vampire can go weeks without eating  
> >In this case, Draco hasn't been out hunting since he met Harry and ate for the last time at the party. Considering that a "fresh cup" of blood is not a very large amount, it was enough for a few days  
> >Vampires can eat fruits and insects (although they prefer not to do so) in the form of a bat, which works as emergency energy if the vampire is very weak, but will force him to hunt almost immediately after returning to normal  
> >In human form, food has no taste (although different blood types have different tastes and smells)  
> >vampires have no venom (I prefer this version, there would be too many vampires if creating them was accidental). So, being bitten by a vampire doesn't make you one (I like the version of the vampire drinking your blood and you have to drink his)  
> >Teorically, a vampire could live off a person's "donation" from small amounts from time to time, but few people know that vampires exist and even less trust them (it is also very difficult for a vampire to force himself to stop)  
> >Not all vampires hunt out of necessity, many hunts for fun  
> > The greater the hunger, the more unstable the vampires become, which can make them unconsciously violent  
> > In this case, Dray always tries to hunt when he changes flirtatious and sarcastic to an emotional mess  
> >Any of this is relevant to the fic? Of course not.


	9. Nothing fairer

"Harry!" Exclaimed the girl, opening her arms for a hug.

It was Saturday morning and Hermione had just arrived - Actually, she had arrived the day before, but she thought it was better to go home, bathe, unpack, see her boyfriend, update him with all the details about her month off and laugh at and scold the photos os him running naked down the street in the middle of the night- in the city.

Harry wrapped his friend in a tight hug. "How was the trip?"

"Oh! It was great! I have so many things to tell you and ..."

Harry knew that she had many things to tell. He had already received her messages and photos about everything and heard the most remarkable stories about three times, but he didn't mind listening again. He smiled, going to the kitchen with her to make coffee. It was too early for Ronald to wake up on a Saturday and Hermione was very excited to talk about her new acquaintances and, as much as he really - more or less - wanted to hear her, the brunette truly wanted to talk about something that was dominating his thoughts.

"So, Mione ... " Hermione was kneeling on the kitchen floor, snapping her fingers and making "pstpstpst" for the cat and being brutally ignored. "I wanted to talk to you about something ..."

"Is it about your new vampire boyfriend?" She said, going straight to the point.

"What? Of course not! He's not a vampire! Nor my boyfriend!"

Hermione squinted. "Obviously, I know that he is not a vampire Harry. I'm kidding. It's Ronald who calls him that in his complaints." She laughed. "But I must admit that they are quite exaggerated, so, as you have not told me anything, I believe that you owe me your version of the facts."

"How much do you know?"

"Theoretically, that you met this apparently Satanist guy at the cafe and the next day invited him to your house to mentally wash all your friends and luckily you still haven't lost a kidney in the process. So, knowing Ron Weasley, I suppose I don't know anything." Hermione laughed.

Harry accompanied her " Yeah, I don't think so."

"So, you meet him at the cafe and invite him to come here and ...?"

"Actually, I met him the week before, I kind of helped him with something." For God's sake, don't ask what. "But, we only really talked when he showed up at the cafe and Neville forced me."

Hermione seemed to understand his eye signs -which looked more like a nervous attack- to not ask questions about this part. "And he went there to thank you? And did you ask him out?"

"I believe he kind of invited himself. More or less. It seems like he kind of thinks he owes me something."

Hermione narrowed her eyes again and nodded in agreement. Harry admired his friend's patience and ability to try to understand him amid his diffuse and superficial responses. "Right. And you are afraid that this..." Hermione used the most abstract term possible, which fit the conversation very well because neither of them really knew what "this" was all about. "Is it just because he thinks he needs to repay you in some way?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. I mean, it's not like I helped him by wanting something in return. To tell you the truth I hoped he would just get out of my life. But, now I don't know."

"Are you afraid that he will leave now?"

"I don't know Hermione! I guess? I do not know. I think I'm getting used to his presence and it would be kind of weird if he disappeared out of the blue. And deep down I feel that it's not just because of that either, but at the same time I think it is and I feel stupid and ... Aaah!"

Hermione took a long sip of her coffee, slowly. "Explain better."

"I KNOW he thinks he owes me something. But then he keeps doing these things that ... Oh, I don't know."

"What kind of things?" Hermione raised an eyebrow and then smiled. "Like putting you to bed?"

"Who told you that?"

"Ron. I think that's the only reason he hasn't attacked Draco - that's the name, it's not?- yet. He said he doesn't 'vibe with him', but that he at least knows that he won't steal your organs overnight. He also drew dicks on your face while you slept." Hermione took her cell phone out of her pocket, showing him a picture of Ron and Simas drawing a lightning bolt on his forehead and a dick on his cheek.

Harry mumbled something but soon returned to the main subject. "It's that kind of thing! And he even gave everyone a ride and left a little note and medicine in the kitchen and he didn't even know our friends, he was under no obligation to do that ... And worst of all, he always comes back, Hermione. And we watch movies. Horrible movies Hermione! And he cries in the end, even though he knows that it is always the same and it's very cute! And I don't know what to do! And it seems that everything is going too fast. And then he kissed me!"

"He kissed you?"

"He kissed me. I kissed him. It doesn't matter. We kissed and it was so weird!"

"Oh, from the way Ron told me, he implied that they almost found you fucking on the kitchen table. When was that?"

"Thursday night."

"And then what?"

"And then nothing, Hermione. He came here to say that he needed to work some things out and then we kissed and the people who went with him showed up and he practically ran away and I don't know what I should think. He didn't show up yesterday. It's not like we agreed to meet, but, he used to show up every night and I don't know if something went wrong or if I said something wrong and now I don't know what to do, because we haven't spoken since."

"Harry. Breathe. You are talking too fast. You need to calm down. Breathe."

"Okay."

"Okay. You said it looks like things are going too fast, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"So maybe he feels the same way and needs time. Or maybe something unexpected happened in what he went to do. There is no need to rush or freak out."

Harry snorted, crossing his arms. Hermione laughed.

"I know that is not what you wanted to hear Harry, but, there is nothing else for me to tell you. The only thing to do is to talk to him."

"But, Mione..."

"No further. Does not matter. The question is: Do you like him?"

Harry was silent for a while, before answering "I think so."

"And maybe he likes you?"

"Maybe."

"So that's enough. The only thing to do now is to sit down and talk to him when he gets back."

"What if he doesn't come back?"

"Then we go after him. I mean, he went after you at work, didn't he? Nothing fairer."

The cat put his paw on his knee and meowed in agreement, before being caught and placed in Hermione's lap.

"See? Even Crookshanks agrees."

And Harry laughed nervously.

Nothing fairer.


	10. Nothing fairer (reprise)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More useless vampire facts!  
> >Vampires are extremely territorial creatures and small clans and / or family groups defend the regions in which they live and hunt, and solitary vampires generally end up at a disadvantage by staying with more dangerous regions and competing with each other, tending to enter larger groups or create their own, for survival reasons.  
> >Clans and / or family groups are usually led by a major vampire, who created all the others or, in the event of his death, the one who is the oldest and therefore most powerful (although most groups tend to disband with the death of the original leader). Narcissa is the major vampire of Draco's clan and he sees her, together with her partner, as parent figures, although that is not a rule.  
> >Creating a new vampire is a big responsibility, as the newly created vampire depends entirely on his creator to deal with the new reality at first, so, in general, vampires are created in 3 situations: a) The will to prolong the life of a human partner who would soon die in a normal situation b) create an army of the undead (which I suppose is what Voldemort would be doing if he were in this fic), but which end up being destroyed in a short time because they attract a lot of attention and break the basic rules of coexistence and security in vampire society c) A human being in a life-death situation awakens empathy in a vampire, who decides to save his life  
> >The latter case is the most common and it is from it that the idea of life debt comes from. Although it is not normally straightforward, as in a form of bondage, a strong relationship of loyalty and gratitude is implicitly developed  
> > Life debt to a human being is less common and encouraged by few groups, while many vampires acquire a sense of post-transformation superiority and come to view humanity with contempt  
> >In Narcissa's case, she was saved AND fell in love with a human being, so she has a weakness for them (although she also sees them as pathetic, silly and fragile creatures that need to be taken care of often or they will die, like hamsters) and she was the one who found Harry's attitude honorable and asked Draco to look after him.

His name was Dave. He was 38, an accountant, single, childless, and was going through the beginning of an early middle-age crisis. And for that reason, was desperately trying to get in shape before he was forty. On the other hand, he wasn’t sure he would have the patience to wait for good results and didn’t want to deal with the shame and nasty comments from co-workers if he gave up from the gym in the first week, so he opted for a secret alternative: jogging at three in the morning.

"But this is dangerous" you must be thinking. Do not worry. He had a pepper spray and had taken a two-month self-defense course once. Besides, three in the morning was the best time to run. The streets were empty, that is, there was no one to judge him. The night was cool and the stars dotted the sky 18% of the time when it was not raining.

So for the past 37 days, he had been secretly becoming healthier overnight. In a short time, his muscles would be marked under his clothes, his entrances would stop advancing, his hair would be light and silky again as it was in his twenties. Perhaps he would even let them grow again. And the colleagues from the firm and Martha from the front desk would say "You look so young Dave" and he would say "I know".

On that particular night, he had decided to run close to the pier, listening to the bubbling of the River Thames, but a figure standing in the shade caught his attention. He approached with curiosity, slowing down when he realized it was a girl, so as not to scare her.

"Hey, kid! Didn't you realize what time it is? Don't you know that it is dangerous to be alone in a dark street at such an hour?"

The girl laughed, tossing her hair aside. "I could say the same about you ... Don't worry, I was waiting for someone."

"Are you sure? Do you want me to call someone?"

"No, no. It's all right." And opened a wide smile and Dave realized that she was looking over his shoulder " We are all here now."

Dave looked back out of the corner of his eye and found only the emptiness of the dark street. He didn't know if that should make him feel better or worse.

"I SAID-" Louder this time. "That we all here now! Draco! What the hell! You are not paying attention!"

Dave spun around on his heels, but he found no one and was beginning to make an excuse to get out of there when he felt himself being grabbed from behind in a rear-naked choke of superhuman strength at the same time in which he watched in horror, two tall figures emerging from a dark spot and walking towards him.

"Help!" He shouted "Help ... hmpf!"

"Shhh! Shhhhh! Hey! It's okay… What's your name?"

"Dave…?" Whined the man.

"Okay, Dave. It's all right. " Said the black man who had appeared and was crouching in front of him. "Everything will end now."

The black man had a soft, welcoming voice, but it was easy to ignore at the sight of red eyes and a mouthful of pointed fangs. And Dave passed out.  
...

The three friends looked at the man lying unconscious on the floor without knowing what to do.

"I think I would feel a little bad killing him like that." Said Draco, being the first to break the silence.

"I would not." Blaise, the tallest man, said.

But, the brunette girl had already lost interest in the prey, poking his cap away with her foot. What kind of person wore a cap at three in the morning? It wasn't even a pretty cap!

"That's it. What's going on Draco?"

"There's nothing going on."

"You've been distracted since we arrived. Is it because of the human, Draco? Seriously, that is not you."

"I already said there's nothing going on Pans."

The brunette snorted. "And I'm a mermaid. Seriously Dray. Do you want to talk about it? We can come back tomorrow."

Draco rolled his eyes. He knew that his friend would not stop asking until he said something. And he didn't know how to lie. Not for her at least.

"I'm just going to take care of this here, okay? I'll find you later." Said Blaise, and dragged the unconscious man into the alley.

The two vampires walked down the street and sat together on the hood of a parked car, under a streetlight.

"And then? What is the problem?"

"You know what the problem is."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay… Life debts and “what's right” and blah blah blah… I know that. And what has changed?"

"Nothing changed." He said, looking away to watch the small figure that flapped wings inches from his face transform into his human form and lay with his head on the brunette girl's lap.

"Yup." Said the man. "That's exactly what it looked like earlier today."

Pansy laughed. "Yeah, Dray. We thought that this life debt thing was exactly about you being away from his neckie."

The blond snorted. Both friends came from a clan different than his, which had been broken up on a territorial issue and had moved to London and been adopted by Narcissa's group fifty or sixty years ago. And although they accepted the leader's recommendations, they thought this whole “life debt” story was bullshit. Draco didn't.

He loved Narcissa deeply for having protected him and there was no way to thank her fully for that. Human beings have short, fragile little lives, and vampires are forced to take several of them all the time. For that reason, it was nothing more than fair to return what he had received from time to time. Especially when someone who was worth protecting appeared. And that was the problem.

"Okay, okay. We are not going to go back on that. But how is the situation? We thought you said that the human was unbearable." Said Blaise.

"I never said that."

"Yes, you did. Several times. And that he didn't take to you." Interrupted Pansy.

"Fine. I said that. And that he is stubborn as fuck. And he makes all of this SO harder than it could be, because he doesn't want me there, but he also doesn't have the LEAST sense of self-preservation. In one second he is complaining that he does not need protection and blah blah blah, in the next second he is playing in front of a fucking car!"

"And putting strangers into the house!" Pansy laughed.

"YES! And do you know what the worst part is? He didn't even think it was a bad thing to be possibly murdered, he was more concerned that stores might close and he couldn't buy a packet of marshmallows!"

"Got it. He's dumb." Blaise shook his head.

"He's not dumb. He just wants to help everyone all the time and is super worried that his friends are fine and even takes care of that demonic cat just to be nice, even though I'm sure the cat is just waiting for the right moment to eat his eyelids while he sleeps and..."

"You are too dramatic Draco."

"Nah. He's right. It's just that you were never attacked by the cat to know. Keep going."

"And he has that magical world view, that good always wins over evil and blah blah blah and it's unbearable. And I just want to punch him in the mouth. With my mouth. Softly. Because he is so cute it makes me want to die."

"Still sounds dumb to me. And this is the worst metaphor I have ever seen."

"OK. And then you kissed him."

"Yes. " Draco would blush if he could. "And I don't know with what face I'm going to go back there."

"Why?"

"He does not like me. And he just said something like "Wow, your skin is really cold" and I said something stupid. And I was clearly not in a hundred percent self-control. You saw. He must have thought I wanted to attack him."

"Wow."

"Wow."

Both vampires did not know exactly what to say, they sat in silence until the sky started to lighten and forced them to leave. In the end, Pansy broke the ice.

"Well. You should talk to him. I mean, nothing fairer, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am totally unable to put a person in the story and just kill them without feeling guilty. Sorry guys, I needed to give Dave a little spotlight before murdering him. I couldn't even kill him right. It’s up to you whether he survived or not


	11. Mission Accomplished

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all folks

Hermione ended up hanging there all day.

Around noon, Ronald woke up and joined them for a "golden trio" day, as it was in their teenage days. They made a lasagna, which was one of the only five dishes that Hermione knew how to make and the redhead went out to fetch a big container of ice cream. They laughed and told stories and relived high school dramas, which led to a little discussion about the alleged murderer of Scabbers, Ronald's rat, in the eighth year. Despite that, Harry couldn't be happier.

Having the talk with Hermione had been a relief and spending time with friends was a great way to distract him from his anguish the day before. I mean, it's not like he can take Hermione's advice and go after the blonde, is it? He didn't even know where he lived or if vampires even lived anywhere. Maybe there was some kind of Batcave in some London suburb or whatever.

In the end, the brunette didn't even notice the afternoon passing. To tell the truth, if Hermione didn't come with constant reminders about how excited she was to be back at college on Monday, his whole life might have passed and he wouldn't even notice. It was already dark outside when Ronald's cell phone rang and the friends realized what time it was. Mrs. Weasley was delighted to find them all together and invited them to lunch the next day. Harry smiled, resting his head in his hands and lying on the living room rug. He was happy and nothing could disturb him. At least, that's what he thought until he heard growls and curses outside and a furry, orange cloud rustling through the window.

The cat-cloud landed meowing indignantly in Hermione's lap and Harry heard a sigh and a knock on the door.  
...  
Harry turned the handle, finding the blond man standing in front of his door.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Harry, who is there?!" Ron called from the living room.

"Get in. Draco, this is Hermione, the cat's owner."

Hermione waved to him, with a little smile. "Is that how I am known now?"

"Oi. "Ronald greeted with his mouth full and his hand tucked into a brown paper bag. "The cat stole it from you?" He said, pointing to the candies in his hand.

"Yes...?"

The redhead nodded, not looking the least bit at ease in knowing that the candies had not been found on the floor or anything.

"Er ... It's a pleasure to meet you Draco, but, we have to go now." Said Hermione, rising from the sofa.

"Do we?" Asked Ron, confused.

"We have that...thing."

"What thing?" Snd felt Hermione's nails pierce his arm "Aaaaah, that thing. It is true. Sorry, Harry."

"Bye Bye." Said his friend, hugging him and whispering a “call me later", before leaving, followed by a Ron with his hands full of sweets.

"Did you buy me candy?"

"I suppose you shouldn't be eating them now. The cat clearly drooled on them a little."

Crookshanks meowed from under the couch.

"Oh. She forgot the cat."

Harry rolled his eyes. Damn Hermione. He was sure that the friend had purposely left the cat as an excuse to return the next day if he came with any excuse for not going to lunch with the Weasley family.

"So."

"So?"

They both sat uncomfortably on the couch, not looking at each other in the eye.

"Sorry." They said at the same time. "Why?" Also at the same time, and they both laughed.

"Okay. You first." Harry gave in.

"Sorry for kissing you yesterday. I shouldn't have done that. " Harry felt his heart sink a little "I know you feel uncomfortable with me and I don't want it to look like I want to force my presence to take advantage of you or attack you or your friends. That was never my intention. I really want to protect you, because I think you are a person worth protecting."

Oh. Harry blinked in confusion. It seems that they had understood the situation in completely opposite ways. He didn't know whether to say it, but he said it anyway. "I was just talking to Hermione as you were only here for some kind of obligation and that maybe I took advantage of it and maybe it scared you and that is why you didn't come yesterday."

"Oh. I didn't come yesterday because I ruined the hunt on Thursday, because I was talking to Pansy about the same thing."

They both stared at each other in silence, before laughing.

"Oh my God, this is so stupid. "

"So, you didn't think it was bad ...? Didn't I scare you?"

"No ... Why would you scare me?" 

"I literally growled at you. "

"Ah. I thought it was normal."

"Do you think it's normal for me to growl at you?"

"I do not know. I don't know how vampires work. Is that why you stopped?"

"I thought I was going to lose control."

"Ah. I thought you heard your friends arrive."

"You have no sense of self-preservation Potter."

The brunette shrugged.

"Aren't you angry? For real?"

"No. I was angry that you ran. Do you know how hard it is to have anxiety and not know something, and it keeps going round and round in your head? It's very boring. And it's awful to sleep. And you still have another day without talking to me! Don't you have a cell phone?"

"No. And don't blame me, until yesterday you would prefer to throw yourself in front of a car over my presence."

"I was drunk, okay? And I think that even if you have a bad taste in movies, I’ve gotten used to having you here. It's weird when you don't talk to me."

"I'm not going to stay here for you to insult my films, okay?" And they both laughed.

After a while, Harry asked again.

"But you did not answer me. Is it normal?"

"What? To growl?

"Yeah."

"Why? " Draco smirked. "Does this turn you on?"

"Draco!" The brunette exclaimed, his face slightly dyed red, making the blonde's smile widen.

"I don't know ..." Harry felt his hair stand on end as the vampire's icy fingers ran over his neck. "Do you want to find out?"

Harry wanted to. 

Wanted so much.  
...

Some time later, they were both sitting in silence. A comfortable silence this time.

In the middle of the sofa, without socks, legs thrown over the pillows, the brunette's head resting on the blonde's shoulder, for the first time returning to sit as close as they had sat at Harry's friends' short visit when the blonde was struggling much to purposely make him as uncomfortable as possible, just because he had been vampirophobic.

"Draco."

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You already did." 

"Can I ask you two questions?" 

"Yes."

"About the life debt bid. You don't necessarily have to SAVE my life, do you? You had told me that it had to be something of equal value, right?"

"That's what I said."

"And who decides if the value is enough, is it me or you?"

"There are no such specific rules. You did a very important thing for me, so I think you are a person worth protecting. Only that."

"But making an assumption. If I wanted you to do something for me, who would have to find it important enough, is it me or you?"

"Well, considering it worked that way, if you did something that I think is important and I owe you a debt, I suppose that for you to feel that it was paid off, it would have to be important to you. Why do you ask?"

"And would you be forced to do this thing?"

"I'm not even obliged to be here Harry, I already said I'm doing this because I want to. And that question was kind of strange. Do you want me to kill someone or something?"

Harry ignored him "And if it didn't work, what would happen?"

"I don't know Harry. You are not being very specific. It's not like I have a legal or supernatural obligation to you, it's more personal. So it depends on the situation. What are you talking about? Because the intention of a life debt would literally be to protect your life, so I won't be wondering what would happen if you died because that is literally what I have to prevent ...?

"No, I'm not thinking of a possibility like that."

"What is on your mind, then?"

"I was thinking of inviting you… on a date?"

Draco laughed.

"That was the worst way anyone has ever asked me out in my life. And I am over two hundred years old."

Harry snorted, crossing his arms and turning his head in another direction. "Sorry if I wanted to make sure that you would not feel obligated to go out with me."

Draco held his chin, squeezing his cheeks and pressing his lips like a goldfish, just to steal a long peck.

"I don't feel intimated. And of course, I want to go out with you ... As long as you leave the cat at your friend's house."

From under the table, where he played with the remnants of the paper bag that Ron had left behind, the cat meowed offended.

"What are you talking about?" Asked the brunette, kissing him back. "He brought you to me. This is the best cupid in the world."

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why, being a vampire, Draco would be a frugivorous bat. But they are so CUTE. So he's a frugivorous bat, but the size of a hematophagous. Or whatever.  
> I don't even know what to say about this fic. I don't know what to do with it. I will pretend that it does not exist today.  
> Note: Just for the sake of it, DO NOT TAKE WILD ANIMALS IN YOUR HAND, CALL FOR COMPETENT AUTHORITIES. Thanks.


End file.
